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Profile evaluation

by abhirox » Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:11 am
Hi

My name is Abhinandan. I am looking to do a full-time MBA from one of these schools (Wharton/Booth/Tuck/MIT Sloan/NYU Stern/Haas). I feel my profile is weak and want help to enable me improve it.

So here is my background - I am 23.5 years old (Indian male). I am a Chartered Accountant (CA). I started my CA right out of school - you should know that there are three levels (Entrance, Intermediate and Final). Once I completed my entrance and intermediate levels, I am required to undergo 3 years of articleship (practical training). This is a pre-requisite for me to appear for the CA-final exam. I underwent my articleship with KPMG (Big 4 -Audit division). Though this was an articleship, from the end of my first year, I was leading audit teams (statutory audit) as an engagement in-charge.

In my 3rd year, I wrote my CA-Final exam and passed it in my first attempt. The overall pass percentage in country was 3.1%. I scored 6 marks lesser than the All India 50th rank candidate (who was a friend). So out of 30K people who appeared for the exam, I was among the 900 who passed the exam and was close to the 50th rank. (I am giving these details to inquire if the above matter to business schools or will they only look that I passed the CA final exam)

Post my CA I did my under graduation with an university named Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Since CA does not require graduation and is more valuable than B-com, I started out directly without doing my graduation. IGNOU had a tie-up with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India wherein if I gave a specific set of exams, I would be issued the Bachelor of Commerce degree. I obtained my B-com through this without going to college.

However, my overall marks for graduation were not high since a portion of the marks were taken from my CA marks - which are low in absolute terms (56.2% in CA-final though is low in absolute terms - relatively it was more than 99th percentile)

Post my CA-final, I continued in KPMG audit for about 8 months and got a transfer to the Deal Advisory department in Oct 2014. I presently work in the Deal Advisory department of KPMG (9 months and counting). In effect, I have about 4 years and 5 months now including my articleship.

I intend to write GMAT sometime in October 2015. I am aiming for a score not less than 740. I intend to apply to schools in Sep 2016.

In terms of extra-curricular I don't have much to show due to hectic work schedules. I used to play basketball and cricket in school - but don't really have certificates to prove anything.

I used to visit orphanages through office to teach children and also attended tree plantation drives. I was part of a social club who used to visit orphanages during festivals and give them food, clothes etc. I would really want to improve my co-curricular profile and require guidance on what I can do.

So my overall concerns are the following:
> I don't have a proper graduation obtained from a full-time college and the marks I secured are low (60%)
> My work experience seems decent - but that's presuming my 3 years articleship would be considered as work experience. Though I was an article, I was a full time employee for all practical purposes.
> My co-curricular profile is weak since I didn't attend college - I can't demonstrate leadership skills.

Presuming I get a GMAT score of 740+ and I do develop my co-curricular activities during the next 1 year, how strong is my profile to apply in any of the above mentioned schools?

Please help!
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by mcbMcK » Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:45 am
Jumping right into your queries Abhinandan:
  1. The IGNOU thing might be a slightly big dampener her and could potentially limit. Even so, best to check with your target schools. The articles here and here will throw more light on the matter as well as that about a 3 years undergrad course.
  2. This too is a bit of a mixed bag and the answer really varies I am afraid. So more research recommended here as well. Check the link here for some perspective on this aspect of work experience.
  3. This and several other factors will be worth attacking in a more structured manner rather than making ad hoc attempts. Exactly for folks in your position, we've created the Profile Builder package which I will encourage you to check out.
Hope this helps clarify or at least give you a start in resolving your doubts.

Cheers,
MG (Manish Gupta)|The MBA Crystal Ball Team

Website: https://www.mbacrystalball.com
Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com

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by abhirox » Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:57 am
Hi Manish,

Thank you for your response.

Well I went through your links but none of them gave me a clear answer.

Now that I don't have a full-time graduation degree, does it mean I will be rejected on the face of it? I obviously cannot waste 3 years now trying to get a full-time degree. What is the way forward?

During articleship I used to handle statutory audit engagements on my own. I could get a director from KPMG write a letter of recommendation confirming this.

My main worry now is my graduation. Is that going to prevent me from getting the MBA I badly want?

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by CriticalSquareMBA » Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:53 am
Top MBA programs all require a degree from accredited universities (or equivalents in other countries). Schools like Wharton (link), Booth (link), and others on your list state this requirement on their sites. I'm afraid these schools won't be possible for you until you obtain a formal degree. Lesser known programs outside the US MIGHT consider you, however I would say it is very unlikely. I know this isn't the information you were looking for, but better you hear it sooner rather than later. Best of luck on your future endeavors!
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by mcbMcK » Sat Jul 04, 2015 8:39 am
abhirox wrote:Hi Manish,

Thank you for your response.

Well I went through your links but none of them gave me a clear answer.

Now that I don't have a full-time graduation degree, does it mean I will be rejected on the face of it? I

<<snip>>

My main worry now is my graduation. Is that going to prevent me from getting the MBA I badly want?

I echo Bhavik's assessment here - but it will still be worthwhile checking with schools that do not explicitly state this requirement. Ditto for the articleship. The article I shared does mention a few places where it will be valid.
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Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com

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by abhirox » Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:10 pm
That's a sad thing to hear. But I do have a degree. How will I know if its accredited or not? Should I directly inquire that with the school?

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by mcbMcK » Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:18 pm
abhirox wrote:That's a sad thing to hear. But I do have a degree. How will I know if its accredited or not? Should I directly inquire that with the school?
Yes, always the best thing to do!
MG (Manish Gupta)|The MBA Crystal Ball Team

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Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com